Solomon Islands - Melanesia - Pacific Ocean

Honiara, population 49,107 (1999), 54,600 (2003 est.),
is the capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal
Province, although it is a separately administered town.
The name "Honiara" is actually a misnomer: the English
colonialists found it hard to pronounce the original name
of the area in the northern Guadalcanal languages: Nagoniara.
Nagoniara means "in front of the wind."

Geography and Climate
Honiara is located on the northern coast
of the island of Guadalcanal and includes
a sea port at Point Cruz. The town revolves around
the Kukum Highway, which connects Henderson Field
in the east of Honiara with the settlement of White
River in the west, and passes the National Referral
Hospital and the recently burnt down Chinatown.
Honiara is located at 9°28' South, 159°49' East.

The climate is tropical, the average daytime temperatures
is about 28 degrees Celsius, the water temperatures
between 26 to 29 degrees. Damper periods are predominantly
between November and April. The average amount of
precipitation per year is about 2,000 mm and thus
somewhat lower than the average on the
entire Solomon Islands (3,000 mm).

Economy and Industry
Honiara is served by the Honiara International Airport,
located about 10 kilometers outside the city.
The industry is in form of several beverage factories
and a cookie factory. Major exports are Timber,
coconuts, copra and fish.
The most important trade partners are Malaysia,
Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Tourism
Honiara is the Solomon Islands' springboard
for tourism activities.
The country's tourist office, the Solomon
Islands Visitors Bureau, is located on Honiara's
main thoroughfare, Mendaña Avenue.
Situated between the shady Yacht Club and the
popular Solomon Kitano Mendaña Hotel, its officers
provide tourist information and can radio ahead to
announce visitors' arrivals to guest houses in the
remoter areas.
Honiara has a harbour from which ferries depart
to the various provinces.
The gardens of the National Art Gallery are
popular for afternoon strolls, while the
reconstructed Government House and the
National Museum exist.
A botanical garden admits lots of orchids and shrubs.
The spectacular Tenaru falls can be found a one hour's
drive and a three-hour hike from
Henderson International Airport.

Religion
Honiara is predominantly Christian and is served by
the headquarters of the Church of the Province of
Melanesia (Anglican), the Roman Catholic Archdiocese
of Honiara, the South Seas Evangelical Church,
the United Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church
and other Christian churches.
There are many congregations of American and Australian
style charismatic and/or evangelical movements.
There are also members of the Bahá'í Faith, Jehovah's
Witness, Mormon and Muslim religions.

History
What is now Honiara was close to the site of
Guadalcanal Campaign in World War II.
It was built to replace the former capital
of Tulagi at the end of that war.
Honiara officially became the capital of
the Solomon Islands in 1952.
After violent rebellions in the year 2000 the
protection of the population was promised by
Australian units, since the Solomon Islands
have no military.
In 2006, riots broke out following the election
of Snyder Rini as Prime Minister, destroying
part of Chinatown and displacing more than 1000
Chinese residents.
3 National Parliament members, Charles Dausabea,
Nelson Ne'e, and Patrick Vahoe, were arrested
during or as a result of the riots.

For more information about
Honiara see Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kukum is on the Kukum Highway, about 5 km from centre to
centre to Honiara's downtown.

Kukum point, beach and foreshore was the scene of very heavy
action during WWII, when Japanese and Allied soldiers
used it for landing and embarkations during fierce
battles for Guadalcanal and the nearby Henderson Field
airfield, the surrounding sound is the famous Iron Bottom
Sound, named after the many ships destroyed and sank
there.
Prior to the war, it was called Savo and Sealark Sound.
32 Allied and 14 Japanese ship resting at the bottom
with many of their crews of this sound.